This week’s Friday Fictioneers 100 word prompt is this bicycle. I couldn’t think of much of a story so I threw in a song to soften the blow. It’s one I’ve been working on called Morning Blues Again.
James regarded his old bicycle. Someone had clipped his brake cables. Son of a bitch! Why? Why? Why would anyone want to do that? It was just meanness. Plain old meanness, that’s what it was. There goes his morning, his plans for a ride to the beach. Damn it!
Well, there was no sense getting all worked up about it. There was nothing to be done for it. Except ride home real careful, get a new cable at Jim’s bike store on the way. Fix the damn bike again.
Such were the vicissitudes of city life. James was getting tired of all these vicissitudes. He pedalled home slowly, carefully. What a morning!
An Occasional Story or Magazine 
“Bumba a day and the Blues will stay!!” Do you like Tom Waits? Saw him in Detroit in 1981 and in Minneapolis in 1989…and of course had the records 🙂 “The Piano has Been Drinking”…”Hope that I Don’t Fall in Love With You”…so many favs…
Thank you and thank you for visiting. I’ve heard Tom Waits a bit and he’s quite good of course. I’ll have to check him out again.
The song sounds exactly like what James was feeling like. Good job.
janet
Thanks. And regards.
Great blues, but a sad bicycle.
Yes, that was a sad bike. Thanks for visiting. And hoping to see you on the bus tomorrow.
Yes, it’s time a took a bus ride. Where shall we go?
I like to go to the beach.
Enjoyed this. This feels like an episode in a bigger story and I have a feeling that James is going to ‘blow’ soon. It reminds me of the Michael Douglas film ‘Falling Down’.
Thanks. I hope Jsmes keeps it together too.
Dear Stephen,
Some days it just doesn’t pay to get up. Morning Blues is a fitting accompaniment. I enjoyed both your story and your music.
shalom,
Rochelle
Thanks Rochelle. I like the song. Sometimes I think I’m coming up with something new, but with the blues there’s notheing new.
Vicissitudes. You just can’t get away from then nowadays.
I think the language and pace of this really brought out his frustrations and low-key anger. I feel for him.
Yes, I enjoy the word vicissitudes. Thanks for visiting and commenting.
Mean act. Time to relocate. Nicely done.
Thanks. Maybe he can bicycle out of town.
It sounds like one of those days! James’s weariness is very palpable!
Yeah, poor James. Thanks for visiting.